Cherry Blossoms in the Snow
by FadingXMoonlight
Summary: A soul reaper prodigy with a painful past makes the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but what happens when she meets the famous Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of squad six? Will she be able to fix what has been broken for so long? Byakuya X OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. Koyumi, however is my own!

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Cherry Blossoms in the Snow 1**

Koyumi was lonely. Ever since she had entered the academy, she had always beenf the quiet and seemingly emotionless one. To a mere stranger, she would have been any other girl with a serious face, but those who were faced with having to see her each day knew more or less, that she had never once smiled. Because of her inability to smile and her struggle to make friends, she became distant, and soon, almost unnoticeable to those surrounding her. Koyumi was alone, but it had not always been that way…

Flashback…

"Nii-san, hurry!" cried the little girl with lilac streaked hair.

"Calm down, the dragonfly isn't going anywhere." replied a boy who looked to be about 17 years of age.

The child looked to the boy with pleading eyes, oblivious to all else around her. Her mind set on playing with the dragonfly, she put on her most adorable puppy face, knowing her brother could not refuse and smiled when at last, the jar was handed to her. Her large azure eyes brightened as she stared at the creature with interest.

"Nii-san, why do you have to keep the dragonfly in a jar?" the little girl questioned cutely.

"Well Yumi, we don't want your dragonfly to run away right?"

"Yes, but… won't that make the dragonfly lonely? It won't be with the other dragonfly friends if it's in a jar."

"I guess you're right. What do you think we should do?" inquired the boy who gazed at his sister with warmth.

"We should let it go!" cried the child, and with that, she opened the jar and watched as her pet flew away, carried by the wind. The girl with the lilac streaked hair watched happily at the thought of her dragonfly that would no longer be lonely.

_5__ years later…_

"Nii-san!!" shrieked the girl as she watched, unable to do anything as the hideous creature, a hollow, fought her brother. Her brother who had been the only one who cared for her throughout her entire life now stood to protect her. As the creature was about to deal the final blow, the girl suddenly jumped in front of her brother, taking the hit for him.

"Koyumi, why…why did you do it!?" her brother screamed as he held her limp body.

The girl had already passed out, her brother holding her tightly to his chest. They could not escape, but as the hollow struck again, the blow was blocked by a katana held by a stranger. The stranger was dressed in a black shihakusho with a white haori over it. He had hair resembling the colour of snow and aqua green eyes, though he looked quite young, 15 at most. The number ten was written on the back of the haori that he wore. The boy slashed through the hollow, destroying it in an instant.

"Who are you?" asked the boy who was barely conscious due to blood loss.

"That is not important. For now, we have to get you and the girl you're holding to the fourth division immediately for treatment."

"Fourth division?"

"The medical division of the 13 court guard squads" replied the boy.

And with that, the other passed out and both were carried to the fourth division by the young boy with the haori.

End of Flashback…

The days at the shinigami academy were short lived for Koyumi as she was told she would graduate at the end of the year. Koyumi had been the school prodigy, but even so, she was alone. Her brother had gone into a coma after the attempt to save her and still remained in the fourth division quarters. After she had been saved and released from the fourth division, Koyumi joined the shinigami academy in hopes of becoming stronger to protect those who were close to her. She progressed rapidly in training with kido as well as hakudo. At night time, she would often train with her zanpaktou, eventually gaining shikai and later, bankai as well (in secret). She had only known what others had sacrificed for her sake and she blamed herself for all of it. She was afraid that if she made friends, they would only be hurt by her, so her only friend had been the one who aided her along with her brother that fateful night. His name was Hitsugaya Toushiro. Ever since entering the academy though, she had seen less and less of Toushiro because of all the work that had to be done. Eventually, she stopped seeing him altogether and started along her quiet path of loneliness. Little did Koyumi know what would await her after she was selected to join the Court Guard Squads.

On the day of graduation, Koyumi found herself to be the youngest amongst those who were graduating with her. The family and friends of the other graduates had all come to see them, but Koyumi had none. The captains of the 13 squads were present, save the captains of squads 3, 5, and 7 who had left soul society as traitors. As the name of each student was called, they would walk across the stage, cheered on by their family, before they were assigned to their new squad. When Koyumi's turn came, the ceremonial hall was silent. None of the students knew her as they were all older and she had no friends or family to cheer for her. She stared the audience with blank eyes, giving away no emotion as she stood on the stage.

"Toriku Koyumi, you have been selected as the top student in the academy and shall be joining squad ten as of today. Your position will be third seat." said an old man also wearing a captain's uniform.

At this the audience gasped. A prodigy who was accepted into a squad as third seat or higher straight from the academy was only seen once every century. Applause rang throughout hall, but Koyumi paid no attention.

"Thank you head captain, I gratefully accept my position and duties as third seat." was all that was heard from the girl.

Koyumi lined up behind her captain, Hitsugaya Toushiro and her lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku. Soon, they headed back to their squad house.

**Koyumi****'s POV**

I walked slowly, following the young, white haired captain. '_I wonder if he still remembers me.' _Suddenly I was pounced on by someone behind me and before I knew it, I was getting the wind crushed out of me.

"So you're Koyumi-chan!! Kawaii!!" the voice of the one who was crushing you shouted.

I turned (or tried to) and saw a long orange haired woman with (err shall I say, big breasts).

"Vice captain Matsumoto-san, could you be so kind as to stop crushing me." you said in a barely audible voice.

"Oops, guess I got carried away!" she replied.

At that, the captain turned around and glared at the vice captain.

"Matsumoto, stop destroying the new recruits this instant!!" he yelled. "Sorry about that Toriku-san, Matsumoto can be a bit of a headache at times."

"

It's fine," I replied. _'This is a fine start, now he probably thinks of you like all the others did' _I sighed, '_maybe this means he doesn't remember me, I guess its all for the best…'_

"Is something wrong Toriku-san?" questioned the captain with a hint of worry in his voice. "You look a little pale."

"No, it's nothing…" '_Why would he be worried about me? He probably doesn't even know who I am now…'_

**Narrator POV**

Koyumi sadly gazed at her captain, whom she had once thought was her friend. As soon as they reached tenth division quarters, Matsumoto showed the other recruits to their rooms while Koyumi was summoned (by Hitsugaya) to the tenth division's office.

"Koyumi, it's been a while." the captain said quietly.

The girl's eyes widened as they stared deep into the aqua ones of the tenth division captain.

"S-so, you remembered after all?" she asked in her soft velvety voice.

"Did you think I would forget about one of my closest friends?"

Koyumi's eyes faded back into the blank orbs they once were at the sound of the word 'friend'.

"No, you aren't my friend. I do not desire for you to be my friend again, captain."

It was Toushiro's turn to be surprised.

"What are you talking about Yumi?"

Koyumi winced at the sound of the nickname.

"Stop it! I never asked for you to be my friend, you know what happened before!!" she yelled angrily.

If it were any other person, they would have left her immediately, thinking there was no sense in trying to befriend a person who was angered at them for it. But Hitsugaya could see it in her eyes, in her tone, and her expression. Koyumi longed for friends. For decades, she had been alone with nobody to talk to, but she feared she would be a burden on those who tried to get close to her so she hid herself in the deep confinements of her heart—where she could not hurt anyone…

"Yumi, I know you don't mean it. You can't lie to me. I can see you, the real you that you've been hiding for so long."

"WHY? Why are you trying so hard for me? I'm not worth it, I'm not worthy of having any friends!! Not after what I did!!!"

Koyumi was on the ground, tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Each day she lived, desperately wishing that she could find someone who would understand how she felt, but that was all impossible in her eyes. The young captain knelt down beside the girl, placing his hand on her shoulders in hopes of consoling her.

"Yumi, don't think you're alone, because you're not. I'll always be your friend, whether you want me to or not. You don't have to blame everything on yourself, it isn't your fault for the things that have happened." the boy said in his calming voice.

Koyumi looked up, tears still making their way down her face.

"Thank you, captain Hitsugaya." she choked out.

Toushiro smiled and gave her a quick hug. "_She's still so young, but bears such a heavy burden…'_he thought. "At last, someone who decides to call me captain." he said out loud which caused a laugh to escape the girl's lips. Toushiro stared at her.

"I haven't heard your laugh for such a long time." he whispered.

3 weeks later…

"Koyumi, please deliver these papers to the correct division houses."

"Hai, captain Hitsugaya." replied Koyumi while reaching for the stack of paperwork.

Koyumi walked out the door, once again, only her blank emotionless face was seen. After the incident with her captain three weeks ago, she met some new friends, but still wore the emotionless face she had for years. She used shunpo to reach the divisions quicker. Soon, the only division left was that of squad six. Koyumi had never been to the sixth division barracks, though her friend, Abarai Renji worked as a lieutenant there. She entered and soon found her way to the captain's office.

"Hey Yumi! What are you doing here?" yelled Renji and he walked up to greet her.

"Delivering papers." she replied simply.

"Well we should hang out after you finish. There's a festival tonight, why don't we all go together?"

"Together?" Koyumi had still not adjusted to having friends. She had been alone for so many years that it felt strange to be surrounded by so many people who cared about her.

"Yeah! You know, with Rukia and the others." Renji replied, eyeing his friend curiously at the expression she had on her face. It was a rather unreadable look that reminded him of his captain, Kuchiki-taichou.

"Alright, I have some kimonos that I can wear for tonight."

"Ok, we'll see you there!" And with that, Renji left to continue his work of training the new sixth squad recruits.

'_I wonder how tonight will turn out…' _thought Koyumi as she knocked on the wooden door.

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. Koyumi, however is my own!

Recap…

"Hey Yumi! What are you doing here?" yelled Renji and he walked up to greet her.

"Delivering papers." she replied simply.

"Well we should hang out after you finish. There's a festival tonight, why don't we all go together?"

"Together?" Koyumi had still not adjusted to having friends. She had been alone for so many years that it felt strange to be surrounded by so many people who cared about her.

"Yeah! You know, with Rukia and the others." Renji replied, eyeing his friend curiously at the expression she had on her face. It was a rather unreadable look that reminded him of his captain, Kuchiki-taichou.

"Alright, I have some kimonos that I can wear for tonight."

"Ok, we'll see you there!" And with that, Renji left to continue his work of training the new sixth squad recruits.

'_I wonder how tonight will turn out…' _thought Koyumi as she knocked on the wooden door.

_Story Begins…_

"Enter" said a voice behind the door.

Koyumi walked in and saw a man sitting at the desk in the room. He was wearing the usual captain's attire with the exception of a silk scarf and the kenseikan, a hairpiece worn by those of noble lineage once head of their clan. To the side of the room, was a picture of a girl who appeared to be Rukia, but with slight differences in hair and facial expressions.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I have brought the requested papers from squad ten," Koyumi said in a flat tone, her eyes resembling those of the one she spoke to.

"Very well, you may leave" he replied while examining his paperwork.

"Hai"

After she left the office she returned to her own division.

"Taichou, the paperwork has been delivered."

"Yes, thank you Koyumi. By the wa —"He was cut off by a loud shriek from his lieutenant.

"Oh Koyumi-chan! Say you're going to the festival tonight! You just have to go, it'll be so much fun!!" cried Matsumoto.

"Matsumoto!!" the captain was yelling, with his anger vein clearly visible.

"Gomen taichou..." his vice captain apologized sheepishly, her attention still focused on the third seat.

"Yes, I will be attending the festival by the request of Renji." you said plainly.

"Aww you're no fun Koyumi! Why are you always so serious?"

"I don't know" the third seat replied while staring at the lieutenant.

"Well, as long as you're coming tonight…" Matsumoto's conversation was stopped short by her captain ordering her out of the room to finish her paperwork.

"So taichou, are you going as well?"

"No, I won't be able to attend because of the paperwork that's been building up lately." Toushiro sighed. He had wanted to go to the festival with Koyumi, but now it didn't look as though he would be able to.

"I'll help you with the paperwork"

"No it's fine, you don't have to…" But Koyumi was already working on the stack closest to her. The two worked until about six, but were only half way finished. The mountains of paperwork seemed almost impossible to finish.

"Yumi, the festival begins in an hour, you should return to your quarters and start preparing, I appreciate all the help with the paperwork, but I'll be fine by myself."

"Hai, arigato taichou." she replied with a slight smile.

After a quick shower, Koyumi changed into a navy blue kimono with silver embroidered cherry blossom trees and sparrows on it. It was the perfect size, reaching just above the ground, with a silver obi to match the embroidery. She quickly tied the obi and fixed her hair with a matching ribbon before leaving the division house. As she walked, small white flakes began to fall from the cloudy gray sky. When she finally arrived at the festival, it had stopped snowing, though the ground had already been covered with a thin layer of snow. Singing and laughter could be heard throughout the streets and brightly lit lanterns hung on the frozen trees. Koyumi saw her friends Renji and Rukia attempting to win a ring toss while Matsumoto, Hisagi, and Kira were at a table drinking sake. She walked through the crowded streets and eventually came to a frozen pond nearby with a cherry blossom tree looming over it. She stood for a minute before hearing slow footsteps behind her.

**Unknown POV**

I decided to leave the crowded streets of the festival for a little while seeing as Rukia and Renji were busy with the festival games. As I walked up ahead to the pond now frozen over by the cold, I saw a young girl sitting at the root of the white cherry blossom tree, where the snow had not covered. I walked closer, surprised that there would be anybody here at this time. The girl however looked strangely familiar, with her lilac streaked violet hair reaching to her waist…

**Narrator's POV**

Koyumi turned and her eyes met with those of the sixth division captain, Kuchiki Byakuya. Both stared at each other with blank, emotionless eyes before Koyumi turned back towards the pond.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what brings you here?" the girl asked without turning away from the frozen landscape.

"I needed to be somewhere quiet," he stated simply.

He sat down beside Koyumi and both remained silent for a while, deep in thought until the captain spoke up.

"What may I ask is your name?"

"Toriku Koyumi, third seat of the tenth division, Kuchiki-taichou." was the quiet reply.

"I see. The captains of the second, sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth, eleventh, and thirteenth divisions along with their lieutenants and third seats will be having a training session on Soukyoku Hill tomorrow afternoon. I presume you will be present as well?"

"Yes, most likely, Kuchiki-taichou."

The two shinigami sat for another half hour before making any movement.

"Taichou, I believe we should be heading back now, as the festival will be ending soon." Koyumi stated.

"Hn"

The two rose and began their silent walk back to the festivity and the crowds of people. When they returned, the last event of the festival was being held: The Duet Singing Competition. Koyumi stared at those who were preparing and was caught off guard when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Renji grinning at her.

"You made it! I was wondering where you went. You should join in the competition too!" he said while tugging at her arm, when he noticed his captain quietly standing beside them, a slightly irritated look showed on his face. "Good evening Kuchiki-taichou. I did not expect you to be here." he quickly said, his tone changing to a noticeably formal one.

"Hn," came the only reply.

"I don't have a partner, Renji. The competition states that you must require two people in order to enter." said Koyumi, more coldly than she had intended.

"Uh… Why don't you pair up with Kuchiki-taichou? You two are a perfect match! Literally," he said, whispering the last word of his sentence. At that moment Rukia walked towards them.

"Ni-sama, I heard that you might enter the competition with Koyumi-san!"

"No"

"Please? I'd love to hear your duet!!"

"Fine"

"Yay! Arigatou, nii-sama!"

"Hn…"

With that, Rukia and Renji walked towards the stage, leaving the third seat and the sixth squad captain to stare at each other for a few moments.

"The contest will now begin, will all contestants please line up behind the stage," boomed a voice through the microphone.

"Kuchiki-taichou…"

The captain was already walking towards the stage. He turned back to look at you.

"Are you planning to stand there all night?" was all he said.

Byakuya's POV

"Are you planning to stand there all night?" I had asked. Why do I even bother with this? Maybe it has something to do with the girl… Her eyes, they aren't like the rest. They're forlorn, unhappy…

**Narrator POV**

Byakuya struggled in his thoughts while the two were lined up.

"Next up, Kuchiki Byakuya and his partner Toriku Koyumi."

After everybody had finished their singing, the judges began to announce the winners of the competition.

"In third place, Yumichika and Ikkaku pair with their song: 'Fight to the death'" while that was announced, Yumichika was busy throwing kisses at the audience, going on about how beautiful he was.

"In second place, Rukia and Renji pair, with their song: 'Dance of the Autumn Leaves'"

"And finally in first place, Koyumi and Byakuya pair with their song: 'Cherry Blossoms in the Snow"

Applause rang throughout the streets as flowers were handed to the winners and medals were given as though it had been a genuine competition in a concert hall. Afterwards, everyone started to leave the festival, everyone except Matsumoto, Kira, and Hisagi, who were completely drunk and incapable of walking by themselves. They were later carried back by their own squad members.

"Toriku-san, would you like me to walk you back to your quarters?" inquired the captain.

"No, it's fine. I won't be returning there now." Was the reply as Koyumi started down the path. She decided to use shunpo to save time and entered the fourth division barracks. Walking down the twisting corridors, she came to a stop at a door with the name 'Keisei Saito' written beside it. Inside the room was a young man lying beneath the white sheets of a hospital bed. He was deathly pale, strands of dark blue hair hanging across his face. Koyumi sat down in the seat beside the bed.

"Nii-san, when will you wake up?" she murmured, her emotionless veil had dropped, revealing a deep sadness within her eyes. She proceeded to wash her brother's face with a damp cloth, failing to notice the hidden reiatsu behind the door of the room.

To Be continued…

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Cherry Blossoms in the Snow Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

No recaps sorry! I was too lazy to put them in... -- Anyway, hope you enjoy chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. Koyumi, however is my own! :3

**Cherry Blossoms in the Snow**

When Koyumi returned to her quarters in the tenth division, she lay on her bed for awhile thinking

When Koyumi returned to her quarters in the tenth division, she lay on her bed for awhile thinking. '_Kuchiki Byakuya sure is a strange man. His eyes have a lonely and sad kind of expression. But he almost looks like nii-san without the kenseikan…'_ After about an hour, she got up, preparing for tomorrow's training session with the captains. Seeing as she couldn't sleep, Koyumi decided to do some training in the open area nearby. She changed into her regular shinigami outfit, with the exception of a red ribbon tied in a large bow at the back acting as a belt and tied her hair up into a ponytail. It was dark that night, but luckily she could see pretty well. Her brother had once commented that she had eyes like a cat's.

"Soar across the frozen skies, Touketsu Kagerou," she uttered while pouring out all of her reiatsu. "It's not enough…" she muttered to herself, again, unaware of the presence watching her nearby. The surroundings began to freeze as Koyumi released her zanpaktou.

Suddenly, a menos grande appeared, but strangely enough, neither its presence nor its reiatsu could be felt. '_What's going on? I should have been able to sense it before it got this close. At any rate, this is perfect training material,' _thought Koyumi.

"Fudou Hi ken!" she shouted as the blade shattered into masses of ice shards, while the hilt and guard of the sword remained.

The shards were directed at the hollow by Koyumi's free arm. The shards sliced through the menos' body, but not completely destroying it. Koyumi looked up just as it was about to release a Cero, but instead of dodging, she lifted her arm, palm facing towards the sky.

"Kagerou Genkaku!"

A gust of wind swept through the clearing as violet tinted ice shot out of the girl's palm up towards the gray clouds shadowing the moon. Snow began to fall from the sky, but instead of falling to the ground, the millions of flakes formed into the shape of a dragonfly. The creature flew towards the Menos that had just released its Ceros. The dragonfly disappeared the moment it was hit by the Ceros revealing the girl, arm held in front of her with an amethyst coloured orb in her hand. There was an explosion as vibrant streaks of purple slashed through the hollow. _'That was too easy… I only used the tip of my powers…' _thought Koyumi. At that moment ten more Menos dropped around her, but these were not Gillian, rather they were of Adjucas class.

"Nani?! What's going on? I wasn't able to sense any of them?"

At that point, Koyumi decided it was time to use her bankai as it would be a better training method.

"Ready, Kagerou? Bankai! Shinku Touketsu Kagerou! She called. Silver cobalt reiatsu now surrounded Koyumi, her hair faded into a snow white while her katana slowly transformed into a translucent blade of ice, a ribbon protruding from the hilt of the sword wrapped itself around her arm. A slight breeze ruffled velvety white feathers on the wings that had emerged from her back.

"Koodori Kagerou" The ice blade changed into a rod with twin blades on the ends.

Koyumi flew into the air, soaring through the skies gracefully as if dancing, while twirling the rod with one hand. Balls of energy began to form at the tips of both blades. The orbs grew larger and larger until they masked the entire clearing. At that moment, Koyumi tossed her rod even higher into the air, where it floated while glowing with power. The orbs of energy condensed into the form of two swords which Koyumi seized from the sky. She flew gracefully, slashing at the hollows with twin blades. But no matter how many she killed, more Menos kept coming; there were at least forty in the clearing now. Koyumi now merged her two blades and pierced the ground beneath her causing it to open up, drowning all the hollows in the ice that she had been forming underground with her rod.

"It's over," sighed Koyumi as she began to walk away.

Suddenly a hollow reached out from below, grabbing her leg with it's sharp claws. Just as Koyumi was about to slice off its arm, an abrupt pain exploded in her left shoulder. She fell on her knees, grasping her shoulder, unable to stop the intense pain.

"No! Don't come out now! Stop!!" she screamed as she fumbled, feeling for the hilt of her sword. Her vision was beginning to dim due to the pain. At last she grasped her sword, but unexpectedly, proceeded to cut her own left shoulder. Soon, everything began to fade away, including the pain as the light in the girl's eyes began to fade.

Footsteps approached the girl who was now surrounded by Menos.

"I thought I sensed your reiatsu," a voice behind Koyumi murmured. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Millions of pink blades surrounded the two, cutting down every hollow around them from all directions. When the ones around them had perished, more began to appear. The man to whom the voice belonged stared at the injured shinigami for a moment with the slightest hint of worry in his eyes. At last, he picked her up delicately, not wanting to cause further injury to the frail looking body and disappeared with the wind before the hollows could attack.

At the fourth division…

The man waited as the fourth division captain began to exam and heal the wounds of the young girl.

"Kuchiki-Taichou, you may come in," a voice called. "The wounds on her leg are merely scratches, but the ones on her shoulder were quite serious and seemed to be self inflicted. Were you with Toriku-san when this occurred?"

"No, I was not. I sensed a strong reiatsu coming from her and thus found her lying in this condition," the captain replied coldly.

"Well, it appears that Toriku-san has a rather odd marking on the shoulder that was wounded. The marking resembled a crescent moon with a blade slashing through it. I've never seen this kind of marking on any shinigami before, but I have already informed head captain Yamamoto about it. Unfortunately, Toriku-san's condition is quite bad at the moment. Perhaps you could be so kind as to watch over her for a while Captain Kuchiki?"

"Hn"

Captain Unohana left the room, as the sixth squad captain took his seat beside the bed, looking intently at the sleeping figure before him. '_Why would she cut herself… what in the world happened after she left the fourth squad barracks?'_ he thought as he remembered watching her from behind the door, surprised that she had a brother who looked similar to himself. He had gone back to the Kuchiki manor after that, not sensing the trouble until it was too late. '_What in the world happened…'_

To be continued…

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Side notes:

Kagerou...Dragonfly

Touketsu...Frozen

Koodori...Dancing

Genkaku...Illusion

Shinku...Crimson

Fudou...Floating

Hi...Ice

Ken...Blade

Please review! Any advice or comments would be appreciated! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. Koyumi, however is my own!

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RECAP

Captain Unohana left the room, as the sixth squad captain took his seat beside the bed, looking intently at the sleeping figure before him. '_Why would she cut herself… what in the world happened after she left the fourth squad barracks?'_ he thought as he remembered watching her from behind the door, surprised that she had a brother who looked similar to himself. He had gone back to the Kuchiki manor after that, not sensing the trouble until it was too late. '_What in the world happened…'_

Story start…

At the fourth division…

The man waited as the fourth division captain began to exam and heal the wounds of the young girl.

"Kuchiki-Taichou, you may come in," a voice called. "The wounds on her leg are merely scratches, but the ones on her shoulder were quite serious and seemed to be self inflicted. Were you with Toriku-san when this occurred?"

"No, I was not. I sensed a strong reiatsu coming from her and thus found her lying in this condition," the captain replied coldly.

"Well, it appears that Toriku-san has a rather odd marking on the shoulder that was wounded. The marking resembled a crescent moon with a blade slashing through it. I've never seen this kind of marking on any shinigami before, but I have already informed head captain Yamamoto about it. Unfortunately, Toriku-san's condition is quite bad at the moment. Perhaps you could be so kind as to watch over her for a while Captain Kuchiki?"

"Hn"

Captain Unohana left the room, as the sixth squad captain took his seat beside the bed, looking intently at the sleeping figure before him. 'Why would she cut herself… what in the world happened after she left the fourth squad barracks?' he thought as he remembered watching her from behind the door, surprised that she had a brother who looked similar to himself. He had gone back to the Kuchiki manor after that, not sensing the trouble until it was too late. 'What in the world happened…'

The motionless girl lay in the fourth division, watched over by a white haired boy finishing the last of his paperwork.

"Yumi, what happened to you?" the young captain murmured.

"Hnn, wait... don't ...go! Please! KATSU!!!"

Koyumi jolted up, but was forced down due to the pain in her shoulder. Unceasing tears slid down her cheeks as past memories began to flood her mind again.

"Yumi, you're awake…"

"Hitsugaya-taichou… Why are you here?"

"You've been unconscious for 2 months ever since you were saved by Kuchiki-taichou near the East Rukon District."

The girl stared at the white haired captain.

"2 months? I apologize, Hitsugaya-taichou for being unable to fulfill my duties. I will return to the division now to start on the paperwork left in my absence."

"Yumi, sit still, you must remain in bed until you are fully healed!"

Koyumi began to step out of bed when her shoulder exploded in pain. She grimaced, losing her balance in the process and stumbled forward. Luckily, her captain caught her before she completely collapsed, but something was wrong. Koyumi gasped for air, unable to breathe while the rest of body became rigid and frozen.

"What's wrong!?!? Yumi, what's wrong!?"

*huff**huff*

"Yumi!" The white haired captain quickly tore off part of the cloth on Koyumi's left shoulder, exposing a bandaged wound with blood seeping through and beginning to trickle down her back. The mark on her shoulder was also glowing, thin lines of blue extending from the crescent shape and running partway down her left arm.

"No… Why didn't you tell me?!" the young captain muttered while using kido in attempts to heal the girl.

"Gomen…. Hitsugaya-kun, I didn't want...ugh… to troub…." But before she could finish her sentence, she had passed out again. The captain began to chant an incantation for a kido spell, one that was unknown to the rest of the 13 Court Guard Squads with the exception of the 2 banished shinigami: Shihouin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke. The marks on Yumi's arm slowly began to fade away and her breathing became steady once again. Hitsugaya sighed; the kido spell had taken much more effort and spiritual power out of him this time.

"Oh Yumi…" He gazed at the limp body in his arms sadly, knowing since the two of them were little that Yumi would not have much time. He knew that one day, he would lose his closest friend because he had been unable to protect her. He gently placed the pale girl on the bed and headed towards the door. As he reached to open the door, captain Unohana walked in.

"Oh, Hitsugaya-taichou, has Toriku-san woken up yet?"

"No, not yet," he lied.

"Well, don't be too worried, I'm sure Toriku-san will recover soon. I'll just be doing a check-up on her wounds, if you'll excuse me, Hitsugaya-taichou."

After that visit, the captain of the 10th squad did not visit Koyumi again, but another captain did (You can guess who…). Three months later, Koyumi was finally discharged from the fourth division and returned to a mountain of paperwork in the tenth division quarters. After working the first 7 hours on paperwork, the young girl decided to take a break and right at that moment, her captain walked in.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm Fine. thank you for asking, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"That's good to know. I was just about to deliver some papers to the sixth division, would you like to come? You look like you could use the break." the captain said teasingly.

"Hai… taichou"

'You visited me when I was in the fourth division. I know it. Something happened, but I can't remember… What happened that day? I'll ask later… I guess…'

At the sixth division…

"Koyumi, you're back!" yelled Renji. The quiet girl did not reply as she was unsure of what to say. After being 'hospitalized' for 5 months, Koyumi felt like a stranger around Renji and her other 'friends'. She had never been comfortable around many people and leaving suddenly for such a long period of time caused her to feel out of place, even more so than she already was before the incident.

"Koyumi?"

"Oh, hello Renji"

"Cut the formality would ya?"

"Uh, excuse-me?"

"Can you not talk like my captain for once!?"

A figure appeared behind the loud vice captain.

"Renji…" Immediately, Renji realized who stood behind him.

"Kuchiki-taichou! Uh, um…I uh…"

"Abarai, leave now, we have some important matters to discuss with Kuchiki-taichou."

"Hai, Hitsugaya-taichou!" And with that, Renji quickly ran off, grateful that he had been spared the sight of his angry captain.

"Um, Hitsugaya-taichou, pardon my interruption, but I thought you said we were here to deliver papers." the lilac haired girl stated with uncertainty in her quiet voice.

"Yes, about that, we have also another issue to discuss while we are here."

"Then I will return to the 10th division now captain. My apologies for troubling you Kuchiki-taichou, thank you for saving me that night," she stated in a barely audible voice. As Koyumi turned to leave, she was stopped by her captain.

"Actually Koyumi, the issue we are discussing mainly concerns you,"

"So it would be rather helpful if you remained here." finished the stoic sixth captain.

"Hai, Hitsugaya-taichou, Kuchiki-taichou" the girl replied in a monotonous voice.

"The reason I have brought you here is that I have decided that you should be transferred into the sixth division as third seat under Kuchiki-taichou."

"Why?"

"Koyumi, do you remember when you were attacked that night?"

"Hai, but it's a little hazy. I was training with Touketsu Kagerou when a menos appeared. It was odd that I was unable to sense it though. After its defeat, a continuous flood of Adjucas class menos appeared. That was when…" she trailed off.

"That was when the marks started to appear, wasn't it?" inquired the younger captain.

Koyumi nodded, gazing at the floor with a blank expression on her face.

"Marks?"

"Yes, I'm sure you realized, Kuchiki-taichou, that when you brought Koyumi to the fourth division, you must have noticed the crescent shaped mark on her left shoulder."

"Yes, Unohana-taichou also mentioned it to me." The normally cold captain glanced at the third-seat with concern, but the look disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Well…" the white haired captain started while staring distantly through the window in the office, "the mark you saw on Koyumi's shoulder was caused by a hollow when she was young. The mark did not appear to be a problem until 10 years ago, shortly after she entered the Shinigami Academy."

"Problem… was that why you cut your own shoulder that night, Toriku-san?"

"Hai, Kuchiki-taichou" the girl whispered. "The mark you saw is the core of a rare life threatening poison. The poison spreads slowly throughout the body only during certain times, but it is impossible to predict when it will continue to spread. The poison not only weakens the physical state of the body, but causes a loss of control over thoughts and bodily functions."

"She won't have much time left to live as a shinigami, we've known that from the start, but a mysterious stranger appeared when Yumi was injured by the hollow and they were able to develop a special form of kido to delay the spread of the poison to prolong her life. We have not yet identified the stranger who created the kido.

"I see…"

Byakuya's POV

'From the time I saw her at the festival, I can't stop thinking about this girl. Why? Now they say she's in danger of dying. Why am I so concerned? This has nothing to do with me. What is it about her? What are these feelings? Everything about her seems so familiar…'

Normal POV

"Because nobody else has seen what the mark can do except you, Kuchiki-taichou, and you two are fairly well acquainted, I have decided that Koyumi should be transferred into your division because I will be absent from the soul society for a long period of time, being given a mission in the real world. I have already created a legitimate reason that the head captain has accepted, so starting tomorrow, Toriku Koyumi will be part of the sixth division."

To be continued...

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Sorry for not updating for so long... please review! any comments would be appreciated (but no flaming please!) Advice, constructive criticism, or random comments are welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

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RECAP

"Because nobody else has seen what the mark can do except you, Kuchiki-taichou, and you two are fairly well acquainted, I have decided that Koyumi should be transferred into your division because I will be absent from the soul society for a long period of time, being given a mission in the real world. I have already created a legitimate reason that the head captain has accepted, so starting tomorrow, Toriku Koyumi will be part of the sixth division."

Story Start

Back at 10th division, Koyumi packed her belongings (she didn't have many) which consisted of several books and documents, some clothes including the everyday black shihakusho as well as 2 kimonos, and a framed picture of a young boy with spiky chestnut coloured hair. Hitsugaya watched patiently as his subordinate packed, fixing his eyes upon the picture.

"You still blame yourself, don't you?"

"…"

"Koyumi, it wasn't your fault that it happened…"

The normally calm and distant girl glared at the captain, her face stained with tears.

"This is really none of your business!!! You know it was my fault, they all knew! All of you blame me and now I'm paying for it!!! It was my fault, everything was… Making excuses, you treat me like your friend but I know, even you blame me!!! How can you say it wasn't my fault!??!?!? How can you say it wasn't because of me that Katsu died?!?! Even you, even you're throwing me away and you should! I don't understand! If you planned to throw me out from the start, you should never have pretended to be my friend again when I came into your division. I'm dangerous, and you know it!"

"Is this what you think? Did you think I would be your friend if I blamed you?" the young captain spoke in a sorrow filled voice.

"Just leave me alone!"

"Yumi, you know that I'll always be your friend no matter what and Katsu too. He would be sad to see you like this Yumi." And with that, the white hair captain left the room.

"It's all my fault, everything is my fault. I deserve to die, after what I've done."

Flashback

"Yumi look out! Behind you, hurry, use your shikai!" cried the brown haired boy.

"But I don't know if I can do it!"

"You have to try!!"

"Soar across the frozen skies, Touketsu Kagerou!!!!"

"Hitsugaya-kun! Help!!!! Katsu, he's going to d…" At that moment several more hollows surrounded the boy named Katsu. Hitsugaya was a distance away, struggling to kill the hundreds of hollows that surrounded him. 

"Yumi, help me!!!!!!!!!!" Just then, a hollow appeared behind Katsu, but before he could react, it fired a cero at him. 

"KATSUUUUUU!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" the girl screamed. 

"It's ok, I'm *huff* fine..." a weak voice stated behind the girl.

"Katsu, you're alive!"

"Yeah, I managed to dodge at the last second, but not completely…"

The white haired boy now ran towards the other 2 shinigami when a much larger hollow then approached the 2, standing behind the Katsu, its poison dripping claws reaching for him. The girl's eyes widened as she quickly pushed the boy down, just as the hollow struck at him. Instead, the claw dug into the left shoulder of the girl.

"Yumi!!!!"

The white haired boy quickly ran to the girl, but was instead slashed on the arm with her sword. 

"Yumi what are you doing!?"

There was no reply, but as the girl lifted her head, her eyes were dim, faded and resembled deep, never ending pools of darkness. She raised her sword now at the brown haired boy, and before Hitsugaya could do anything, she thrust her sword through the boy's stomach. 

"Yumi, I… why did you…"

The girl collapsed afterwards, lying in a pool of blood beside Katsu, her face and lilac streaked hair stained red.

Flashback End…

The following day, Koyumi was transferred to the sixth division, her office across from that of the sixth captain. The days slowly dragged on. Each day Koyumi completed the stacks of paperwork placed before her and visited her brother Saito in the fourth division. Each day, her captain would ask her to have lunch and they would eat in silence as she did not know what to say. Koyumi was afraid that she would say the wrong words, or reveal something that would drive her captain away. All she could do was occasionally glance at her captain with her large, azure eyes, wishing that perhaps one day, she could fit in, that she did not have to hide so much from others. But most of all, she wished that maybe one day she would be able to tell her captain how she felt about him. Months had past since she first saw him, but she never gave away her true feelings. Not even Hitsugaya truly knew how she felt. She did not want to love her captain, she wasn't even sure if it was love she was feeling. Nobody had ever loved her, not even her parents, so she didn't really know what it felt like to be loved or what it felt like to love. She had been thrown out, cast away, unwanted and unneeded. Her parents didn't care whether she was dead or alive. She tried to block out thoughts of her captain; she didn't even know why she liked him, but she knew it would be better for him if she didn't. She would only cause him trouble and it didn't matter as he would never like somebody like her, somebody who never smiled, who was going to die. She knew she wasn't worthy of being loved by anyone, and especially not someone of noble status. She eventually closed her mind off and rejected those foolish thoughts completely, pushing them down into the deepest recesses of her mind so they would not resurface again.

After several weeks, she was finally given a mission to investigate strange appearances of hollows in the forests of the West Rukon District with her captain in place of Renji, who was on another mission in the real world.

"Koyumi, we are leaving now."

"Hai, Kuchiki-taichou."

The two flash stepped to the West Rukon district in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts.

'She hasn't said anything in the past 3 weeks besides the line: yes captain…Maybe something else is going on… Wait, why am I thinking about her again?! She looks so familiar' and thus were the thoughts in the so called cold and heartless captain's mind. Koyumi on the other hand, thought about the past, as she had done for the past few weeks. The two arrived at the forests, but nothing out of the ordinary could be seen.

"Koyumi, we will separate and search for any signs of hollows"

"Hai, taichou."

The two separated and at first nothing seemed to be wrong, but suddenly a Menos Grande appeared. The problem was that while the captain of the sixth division had sensed it the minute it appeared, his subordinate could not and it had appeared only about 200 metres distance away from her. The only reason Koyumi noticed it was because of its size and the noise it made. Even after seeing it, she could not sense the Menos in front of her at all.

"Soar across the frozen skies, Touketsu Kagerou!"

Koyumi easily defeated the Menos, but more began to appear around her. 'This is strange, why am I unable to sense them and why are they all gathering around me!?' Koyumi thought. Suddenly a voice rang inside her mind: 'Are you surprised, little Yumi-chan? You're thinking, why am I unable to sense the hollows. Well the reason is that I am not allowing you to sense them. I am watching your every move Yumi-chan; let us see the full extent of your powers! *evil laugh*'

Koyumi's eyes widened as she fell on to her knees, frozen. 'Who are you and why are you doing this!? Stop!!!!' Pain was now spreading across her stiff body, but she could not do anything. She could not even scream. The symbol on her shoulder was appearing again, but this time, the blue marks extended down not only her left arm, but halfway down her back as well. The menos were getting closer, soon they would devour her whole and there was nothing she could do.

"Somebody, help m—" 'That's right, nobody's going to come. Hitsugaya isn't going to save me, he's not even a friend anymore…Brother… he can't save me…Nobody cares whether I'm dead or alive…'

Byakuya POV

I flash stepped quickly to where the menos had appeared, but when I arrived, there were about 5 menos surrounding Koyumi. She was lying on the ground, not moving at all. I was about to call out senbonzakura when a strange aura began to surround the girl. She glowed with a blue light and began to float into the air. Her eyes had begun to glow as well. Suddenly, everything around her began to freeze as she chanted a strange incantation, unlike those of kido spells. Three beams of light shot down from the cloudy skies and engulfed her. As I watched, her shihakusho turned pure white and feathery wings sprouted from her back. Strange blue markings began to crawl onto her left cheek. All the menos around her were instantly destroyed, but not only did she succeed in destroying them, she also froze everything within a 2 mile radius into solid ice.

Normal POV

Koyumi fell from the sky; her wings shattered and fell like shimmering dust particles. She landed gently in the arms of her captain who had flash stepped to catch her.

"Taichou, my apologies for troubling you," the girl said before slipping from reality.

The cold captain gazed down at the pale and dying girl in his arms and quickly hurried back to the fourth division.

'I've seen this girl before, I'm sure of it…'

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Thanks so much for reading! Please review!! All comments and criticism are welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters...

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RECAP

Koyumi fell from the sky; her wings shattered and fell like shimmering dust particles. She landed gently in the arms of her captain who had flash stepped to catch her.

"Taichou, my apologies for troubling you," the girl said before slipping from reality.

The cold captain gazed down at the pale and dying girl in his arms and quickly hurried back to the fourth division.

'I've seen this girl before, I'm sure of it…'

Story Start...

As the 'emotionless' captain flash stepped to the fourth division, he noticed that the girl's body had been growing colder and colder. Though the blue marks on her face had receded, she was having difficulties breathing and a wound on her right leg had opened up again and was slowly dripping a trail of blood as the captain carried her.

Her eyes were sad, filled with longing and sorrow. He wanted to make her happy, to see her smile, even though he didn't know why… It was as if he had once seen her smile before…He was almost positive he had seen the girl before, that they had met many years ago... When he ate with her for the past few months he often noticed her glancing at him with those sad eyes as if she wanted to say something, but she would just stare back down at her food. What made this girl so sad? What was she always thinking about?

Everyone stared at the expressionless captain, his white haori drenched with the scarlet red blood of the pale girl he carried.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what happened to Toriku-san!?"

"Are you injured as well!?"

"No, take care of the girl." he said simply in his cold and monotonous voice.

Several squad members quickly took the motionless girl to an operating room to be examined and healed by the 4th division's captain. After about 15 minutes, the calm female captain walked out of the room, a somewhat worried look on her face.

"Is she alright?"

"Her physical injuries have been healed, but what worries me is her mental state of mind. Something during the battle appears to have triggered something within her mind. She is awake now, so you may visit her Kuchiki-taichou, but I do not think she will say much…"

"Hn…" The stoic captain did not say much. As he entered the faded and lifeless room, he saw a girl sitting in a small bed. He could not tell who the girl was or whether she was dead or alive. The sign on the door read 'Toriku Koyumi' but the person in front of him could not possibly be Koyumi. She no longer looked sad, but neither did she look happy. No emotion could be detected at all, her eyes were a blank, faded blue and her hair was silvery white, not one strand of violet or lilac could be seen. She stared straight forward, not focusing on anything in particular.

"Koyumi…" the captain muttered as he sat down in a wooden chair beside the bed. No reply came from the girl.

**Koyumi POV**

'Where am I? Am I dead? So dark…'

"Koyumi…"

'Who was that? That voice… it sounded like Kuchiki-taichou…'

"Yes that was your beloved captain whom you won't remember!"

'Wait, who is this? Stop it, stop interfering with my life!'

"You'll find out soon enough! But first, I'll be taking a few 'things' or should I say, memories, from you…"

"No wait, don't!!!!"

The voice was fading and before I knew it, I was alone again in the darkness…

**Normal POV**

"Ugh, where am I? My head hurts…"

A young girl with waist long white hair and crystal blue eyes sat in a hospital bed, staring at a distant man who sat in the cold room beside the bed.

"Koyumi…"

"Who are you!? And how do you know my name!!!???"

The captain's eyes widened as he stared at the girl.

"I'm the captain of the 6th division in the 13 court guard squads and you are my third seat."

"Third seat? 13 court guard squads? That can't be right! I should be with nii-san and Katsu right now! Where arethey?"

"Katsu?"

"Yes! He's my friend! We've been training together for a few years now!"

'_She appears to have lost her memories…'_ "I do not know who Katsu is, but it is possible he is on a mission as well."

"Oh, how about my brother? His name is Keisei Saito. Oh, but you probably don't know him, he's not a shinigami." she stated the last half of her sentence rather sadly. "We live in the 2nd district of Rukongai; can you stop joking now and please return me back home 6th captain-san?"

"This is not a joke."

"Ok, so can you tell me why I'm here and where 'here' is, Kuchiki-taichou?" The girl stared in amazement.

"How did you know to call me Kuchiki-taichou?"

"I-I don't know… It just happened, like natural instinct…"

'_There's a chance she still retains some memories'_

"You are currently in the fourth division as you were severely injured in a battle with several Menos Grande."

"Menos Grande? You must be joking! I could never defeat a Menos! Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

"Look at your leg."

"Wow, how did I get such a big wound?"

"That was from the Menos."

The girl stared at her leg, then at the captain, with a confused expression on her face.

"Then, what's going on?"

'_I should not tell her the truth. Whatever she has kept hidden from me before must have had something to do with this. It may be better for her not to know until I can determine what has happened…'_

"Several weeks after you were put under my command, we were sent out on an investigation and you were injured. That is why you are here now."

"So I'm really a third seat in the 6th division?"

"Yes."

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why do you have such a cold expression on your face all the time Kuchiki-taichou?" The girl inquired curiously, undaunted by the presence of the noble captain.

"That is none of your concern."

'_Cold? What is she implying?'_

"Ok!" The girl replied cheerfully, as if she were a child again.

'_She's so happy now, how can she be the same person who was entered my division? I can't let her live in the division quarters. I have to keep this a secret from everyone until I can learn how to return her memories…'_

"Koyumi."

"Yes?" The girl was staring out the window now.

"You will be living in the Kuchiki manor in the following period of time and you will not be allowed to leave without my permission."

"Ehh!? But, aren't I your third seat? I have to work, don't I? And why can't I go home!?"

"Because, I'm your captain and subordinates must obey their captains." He stated with an icy glare which the girl noticed, so she decided to comply, to avoid angering her so-called 'captain'.

"Alright, Kuchiki-taichou."

"Then I will pack your belongings for you and arrange for you to leave the 4th division."

"Belongings?"

"Stay here." With that, the captain left the room.

'_This is just too weird! What will nii-san think when he finds out I'm suddenly the third seat of the 6__th__ division? *sigh* And besides that now I have to go live in my captain's house!? Could this get any stranger?' _thought the girl. Little did she know, her life would soon become further entangled in uncontrollable confusion…

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review! Any comments or criticism are welcome! (The story will get more interesting from here on, I hope! :) )


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